If you’re a pregnant mom with a nursing toddler, congrats! Many mothers who start breastfeeding don’t continue, and you have defeated the odds. If you don’t want to stop nursing when Baby #2 comes along, you don’t have to. Tandem nursing—or nursing two babies at once—is becoming more popular with the rise in breastfeeding rates and it’s perfectly safe to do: Your toddler won’t hog your newborn’s milk because the breast has the amazing ability to adjust to the demands it’s given. Plus nursing both kids has been shown to improve the bond between siblings and relieve engorgement for moms.

I want to give you some tips to tandem breastfeeding

Find the right position

Breastfeeding both children at once mean creativity looking for the right position. There are two main positions to consider: One is the « football hold » and the other is the « cradle position. » When latching for the football hold, you bring the baby to your breast and position her so her legs and body are under your arm, with your hand at the base of the head and neck—as if you were holding a football. For the cradle position, you cradle the baby’s head in the bed of your arm with his abdomen against yours, keeping him in line with the rest of his body.

Once you get these positions down, you can choose a number of combinations when you’re breastfeeding the two babies. For example, the baby can be held in a football hold and the other child in a cradle position or you may choose to double cradle, where both children are held in a cradle position, with the newborn’s legs resting on top of the toddler’s.

Have an order in mind

If feeding a baby and toddler, try to feed the infant first because of his more immediate nutritional needs, at least until your colostrum is gone and transitions to a lighter milky color.

Take a break

Tandem nursing can be exhausting—especially if you feel like you never get a break. A good way to cope is to try to sleep when the newborn sleeps and get the toddler to nap at the same time. The toddler will not feed every 2-3 hours like a newborn, so take a break and rest with your baby.

Get ready for the critics

Since tandem breastfeeding is less common than nursing one-on-one, you may get the occasional irritating comment from friends, family members or strangers.

Ce’s good to have a response ready for these moments. Something like « I have researched the pros and cons of tandem feeding and found it to be safe, plus it works well for our family » works because those judging haven’t typically read-up on the method.

Find theFinding a support group also helps surround you with people who support your decision.La Leche Leagueis the go-to organization when it comes to support for breastfeeding and a great resource for local groups. Otherwise, don’t be afraid to ask about groups at your hospital.

According to research, only about one in 25 (four per cent) of babies are born on their exact due date. About one in five babies are born at 41 weeks or after. So rest assured, you’re not alone in wondering when your baby will make an appearance!

If you’re only a few days past your due date, most doctors won’t offer to induce your labour for a while. Although most babies remain healthy, obstetricians do worry when pregnancy continues several weeks past their due date. That’s because, after 42 weeks of pregnancy, a small number of babies die unexpectedly while they are still inside the womb (uterus) or shortly after the birth. Most hospitals follow guidelines which recommend offering induction of labour when you’re 41-42 weeks pregnant. This is based on evidence that babies are healthier at birth and more likely to be born safe and well when hospitals induce labour at or beyond 41 weeks. This approach seems to reduce the number of caesareans that are needed too.

If your pregnancy has been straightforward, you’re likely to be offered induction at 41 weeks. The timing may vary according to your hospital’s policy. In some areas you may be offered an induction at between seven days and 10 days after your due date, in others it may be two weeks. This is because it’s still not known when the ideal time is to induce labour in overdue mums. You may prefer to have your labour induced at 42 weeks, by which time you may have had enough of being pregnant. Or you may prefer to wait and see what happens, particularly if you’ve had a baby before, as the risk of stillbirth is lower for women who’ve already had a baby.
If your obstetrician suggests an induction, ask if your hospital usually offers inductions at a certain date, or if it’s due to your individual circumstances, such as your age, your weight, or complications in your pregnancy, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Your doctor will be able to answer any questions you have and she’ll take your wishes into consideration when an induction date is suggested. If your obstetrician suggests an induction, ask if your hospital usually offers inductions at a certain date, or if it’s due to your individual circumstances, such as your age, your weight, or complications in your pregnancy, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Your doctor will be able to answer any questions you have and she’ll take your wishes into consideration when an induction date is suggested.

If you’ve spoken to your obstetrician but you’re not sure about having an induction, you could ask for a day or two to consider it. See what your midwife thinks, read our information on induction with your partner and talk to friends who’ve had an induction. Though keep in mind that every pregnancy is different.

If there are no risks to your pregnancy and you don’t want to be induced, you could ask to be monitored every two to three days, to check that your baby is well. This should be offered to you if your pregnancy continues beyond 42 weeks.

If you are having a baby in Barcelona there are some things you need for you postpartum and the legal/professional life.

How to register your baby’s birth in Barcelona?

During 2017 some hospital offer to register your baby directly in the hospital, so you don’t need to go to the « Registro Civil ». They will give you a document call Cuestionario para la Declaración de Nacimiento en el Registro Civil. Make your baby’s name is correct!! This document is signed by the doctor or the midwife that was with you during the delivery.

In case your hospital doesn’t offer this service you must register your baby at the local Civil Registry Office (Registro Civil) within eight days of the birth. You can go directly to Plaça del Duc de Medinaceli, 3. If your married only one of the parents needs to go, but if you are not married then both parents must attend the registry office

If you intend to apply for a non-Spanish passport for your baby, remember to ask for a full birth certificate (certificación literal). In addition to the documentation provided by the hospital, you must also bring any national insurance documents belonging to the parents and a marriage certificate, which must be officially translated into Spanish. Don’t forget to bring your passports and identity cards (and copies), in case they are required to verify your identity.

Maternity and paternity Leave: do you qualify?

Maternity benefits are paid by Seguridad Social, Modifier EN « Livret de famille » (they will give it to you at el Registro)

Maternity and paternity leave can be taken part-time if an arrangement has been made with the employer ahead of the birth. In the case of patenity leave, a part-time day must be no less than 50 percent of the full-time workday. In the case of a birth (versus an adoption), the mother cannot avail of part-time maternity leave until after the mandatory six-week, full-time maternity leave period after the delivery.

Extended maternity leave is also available for women who cannot perform their job because it puts their pregnancy at risk. Extended benefits are also offered to breastfeeding mothers if their job prevents them to nurse.

My partner and I searched for English antenatal classes here in Barcelona and found Vicky very easily online. She was extremely quick to respond to our enquiry and very helpful. As soon as we arrived we were made very welcome.

Vicky had a great way of making both the practical and theroy easy to understand, interesting and even fun. Her course is not just aimed at mothers to be and is also brilliant for fathers to be.

We have both learned so much and feel she has been a massive help for preparing us with the birth of our baby boy here in Spain. It really has exceeded both our expectations and would highly recommend Vicky’s classes to parents to be here. She has also been supportive via the telephone when we have needed some help during pregnancy.

Victoria and Adam

Being pregnant with our first in a foreign country it was important for us to find an Antenatal course in a safe environment. We read about Vicky’s services online and after mailing forth and back with her, we agreed to give her international Antenatal class a shot. And we’re so happy that we did.

Vicky’s classes have provided us with information, exercises and confidence about giving birth in Spain. She has prepared us for our (soon) new roles as parents and given us a network of other parents-to-be.

Thank you, Vicky.

Tatiana &amp; Emil

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Vicky was an amazing support to me and my husband before and after the birth of my baby girl Alia. We had a prenatal session with Vicky before the birth at home which was invaluable for my birth that ended up being a very long (36hours) and tough labour. She taught us things about labour that hadn’t even come up in the prenatal course we had already done…

The degree of medical contact with pregnant women is reasonably high in Spain, with more antenatal tests, scans and intervention during childbirth than in some other countries,. The standard of care in Spain is highly regarded, both public and private, although women are generally required to have held a private insurance policy for a certain amount of time to cover maternity costs, while state healthcare does not have any time restrictions.

Choosing the specific clinic for delivery is a decision future parents should handle with care. You can give birth in Barcelona both in private and public hospitals. Everything depends on the personal preferences of the parents-to-be and whether the future mother has medical insurance. If you are a resident of an E.U.-country, in order to receive free medical service in a public clinic, it is sufficient to present the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

On the other hand, one can choose a private clinic in which payment will be charged on a daily basis or they can be covered by a private medical insurance. There is a good reason for this charge – private clinics in Barcelona very often resemble expensive hotels, boasting personal rooms, individual service, excellent food, and 24/7 presence for mother and baby.

Normally, in private or public, you can get a guided tour of a clinic before the childbirth and in public you can find some hospitals with private rooms meanwhile in private hospitals all rooms are private.

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You need to know that not in all hospitals not allow gas or air, although epidurals and pethidine are available. Birth in Spain is seen as a fairly straightforward medical process and alternative birth methods, such as water births, and birthing plans are not as common in Spain as in other countries but in Barcelona you can find at least two hospitals with the possibility of dilation in water. However, you can still write your birthing plan in Spanish and take it with you.

Home births in Barcelona, meanwhile, are not covered by the state health system.

Apart from that, one should bear in mind that during childbirth Spanish doctors widely administer epidural anesthesia (in 98% of the cases). The epidural is considered completely safe for both mother and child and allows the mother to move through the whole process in a more comfortable and less painful way. However, if this option does not suit your vision of the ideal childbirth, you can always choose to decline the epidural anesthesia.